Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is non-invasive imaging technique capable of performing high-resolution, two-dimensional cross-sectional imaging of samples, such as microstructures in biological structures (e.g., human tissue, such as an eye). Specifically, OCT arrangements can use a source (e.g., a light source) having a particular coherence length (e.g., between about 1 micron and about 1 meter). For example, an interferometer may be used with such arrangement, such as a Michelson interferometer, a Mach Zehnder interferometer, etc. In this configuration, light from the source is routed through a fiber. This light enters a fiberoptic coupler (e.g., a beam splitter), and the fiberoptic coupler divides the light into two portions (e.g., equal portions). After the light is divided, a first portion of the light is transmitted towards a reference arrangement (e.g., a reflective arrangement such as a mirror) via a reflective arm having a variable length, and a second portion of the light is transmitted towards the sample via a sample arm having a constant length. Moreover, the first and second portions of light return or reflect from the reference arrangement and the sample, respectively, and recombine within the fiberoptic coupler. The recombined light is then transmitted to a detector. Further, the detector is coupled to a computer arrangement which extracts information from the signal received from the detector. Specifically, this information is associated with interference fringes of light from the sample and the reference arrangement to generate an image of the sample.
Nevertheless, in such OCT system, the interference fringes are only formed when the distance propagated by the first portion of light matches the distance propagated by the second portion of light within the coherence length of the source. Therefore, when the length of the reference arm increases from a particular length to a further length, and the length of the sample arm remains constant, the detected light will be such light which is propagated further into the sample than when the length of the reference arm has the particular length. Consequently, by adjusting the length of the reference arm to detect a plurality of signals, substantially the entire sample may be imaged.
Ideally, the source used in this OCT system has a Gaussian spectrum. However, sources having Gaussian structures are difficult to manufacture, and many readily available sources have non-Gaussian structures. However, sources having non-Gaussian spectrums may generate side lobes in a coherence envelope of the interference pattern, which can generate spurious structures within the image of the sample. Consequently, portions of the image may be unclear.